Patch vs News 12 Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Patch
Stay informed about your local community with real-time news, events, and weather updates. Discover schools, homes for sale, jobs, and announcements in a single, easy-to-scroll feed. Receive breaking news alerts and share stories with friends.
- Local news and events for 1,200+ towns
- Breaking news push notifications
- Local weather forecasts and alerts
- Find local jobs and announcements
- One-scroll feed for town happenings
- Bookmark articles for later reading
- Support for following multiple towns
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If you're looking for "everything local," Patch is the app for you. Local schools? Check. Breaking news? Check. Homes for sale? We've got those, too. You'll always be in touch with your town with the Patch app. Check out these features: • News and events for 1,200+ Patch Towns, with more towns added every month. • Push notifications as important news breaks — you’ll be the first to get the scoop. • Swipe left or right to view articles faster. • Local weather forecasts and alerts — you'll never be caught without an umbrella or snow boots again. • Find local events, jobs and announcements in your area. • Get everything that is happening in your town in a one-scroll feed! • Share stories to your Facebook friends or email/SMS to a friend! • Patch also has fun iMessage animal stickers to share your emotions with your friends! • Love an article? You can bookmark it to your phone to come back and read it later. • Want to follow multiple towns? No problem, swipe left or right to navigate between your favorite Patch towns. Our new Patch app delivers a beautiful browsing and reading experience for iOS users. Our pages load lightning fast. You'll never be kept waiting to see what's behind that headline. The sleek design provides an in-depth storytelling experience fueled by concise writing and rich imagery. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: We're eager to hear your feedback and suggestions. How can we make the app even better? What features would you like to see? We aim to be the best news app in the country, and your ideas are crucial. Please email us at Feedback@patch.com Images used under license from Shutterstock.com
News 12 Mobile
Access local news, weather, and traffic updates from a dedicated regional news network. Stay informed with breaking news, detailed forecasts, and multimedia content. Receive personalized alerts on topics important to you.
- Local breaking news
- Local weather forecasts
- Storm coverage
- Daily videos and articles
- Push alerts
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Get local news, weather, traffic, and much more from News 12, the news network dedicated to covering Long Island, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Connecticut, New Jersey, Westchester and Hudson Valley. Other app features include: • Local breaking news • Local weather forecasts, current temperatures, and storm coverage • Daily videos, articles, photos and more covering the tri-state • Receive push alerts on the topics that matter to you
Screenshots
Verdict
Patch and News 12 Mobile both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 58% of Patch's written reviews are positive against 31% of News 12 Mobile's. Patch also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Patch against 4.8 for News 12 Mobile. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26K and 66K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Patch's written reviews are positive against 31% of News 12 Mobile's.
Patch ships an update every 2 months, News 12 Mobile monthly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Patch | News 12 Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (26K ratings) | 4.8 (66K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.3% of reviews — better | 30.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26K | 66K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #157 | #116 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Patch Media | NEWS 12 INTERACTIVE, INC. |
Customer experience
Patch
News 12 Mobile
User reviews
Patch
From 26K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗞️ Informative local news
- 📰 Comprehensive coverage of community events
- 🔍 Useful for staying up-to-date on local happenings
- 🗓️ Timely and relevant information
- 💻 Convenient online/mobile access to local news
Room to improve
- 🔌 App stability and performance issues
- 🔍 Limited ability to customize content and notifications
- 📢 Concerns about removal of reader comments
- 🗺️ Lack of location-specific focus in some areas
- 💲 Paid subscription model for full access
News 12 Mobile
From 66K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐️ Helpful local news coverage
- ⭐️ Reliable weather updates
- ⭐️ Convenient morning routine
- ⭐️ Thorough and educational weather reporting
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches in the app
- 📺 Excessive ads for paying customers
- 🔄 Outdated or repeated news content
- 🔍 Confusing navigation and layout
- 📱 Lack of support for landscape mode
Bugs and requests
Patch
Reported bugs
4 issues- Articles failing to load or open properly
- Notification issues, including duplicate or missing alerts
- Inconsistent app behavior after updates
- Difficulty clearing unread article indicators
Requested features
5 requests- Allow users to select specific news categories of interest
- Improve notification system to be more reliable and customizable
- Restore reader comment functionality
- Enhance location-based targeting and content curation
- Offer more affordable or free access options
News 12 Mobile
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent app crashes
- Inability to stay in selected section
- Incorrect or outdated weather information
- Notification links leading to wrong content
Requested features
4 requests- Live news stream option
- Customizable location-based weather
- Improved article organization and search
- Removal of ads for paying customers
In-app purchases
Patch
No in-app purchases
News 12 Mobile
No in-app purchases
